Machine for cutting stalks.



C. R. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING STALKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, l9l6.

1 ,21 9,676. I Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Attorn eys c. R. SMITH. MACHINE FOR CUTTING STALKS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, I916- 5 H m. 9, NW z M w 3 m(/,

Patented Mar. 20,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor Attorneys ATES CULLEN B. SMITH, 0F FENIRE SS, TEXAS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING STALKS.

Application filedMay 23, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CULLEN R. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fentress, in the county of Caldwell and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Machine for Cutting Stalks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting stalks while standing in rows, one of the objects being to provide a machine adapted to be moved along a row of stalks and provided with opposed means for engaging and severing the stalks so that they will be cut into short lengths which will fall to the ground.

A further object is to provide improved means cooperating with the cutting elements whereby the stalks are positively engaged and fed to the cutting elements, the feeding means being constructed to receive the peripheral portions of the cutting means but being so shaped as to prevent choking.

Another object is to provide'an apparatus of this character which can be readily adjusted upwardly and downwardly without interfering with the operation of the driving mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of'one of the feeding disks at the left side of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the feeding disk.

Fig. 6 is a section on line AB Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on line CD Fig. 5.

Referring to the figures by characters of;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Serial No. 99,359.

axle 2 on which is mounted the front end of a frame 3, this frame being extended rearwardly and provided, at its rear end, with a wheel supported axle 4. Any suitable steering mechanism may be provided upon the rear portion of the frame. For example, a steering post 5, having a hand wheel 6 at its upper end, may be provided, at 1ts lower end, with a rearwardly extending arm 7 connected to a crossbar 8 which, in turn, is pivotally attached to arms 9 extending from spindles 10 on which the rear wheels 11 are mounted, these spindles being designed to swing about vertical axes. A foot bar 13 may be secured to the lower portion of the post 5 so that the occupant of the seat 14- can rotate the post eit her by means of the hand wheel 6 or by means of the foot bar.

A cross beam 15 is secured to the rear portion of the frame 3 in front of the wheels 11 and secured to the ends of this beam are swingletrees 16. Thus it will be seen that the draft animals are positioned at the sides of the frame 3 and back of the wheels 1.

Mounted to swing upon the axle 2 at the sides of the frame 3 are forwardly extending arms 17 fixedly connected to the lower portions of the sides of an upstanding frame 18. Standards 19 are arranged upon the sides of the frame 3 and each of these standards is connected to one side of the frame 18 by a spring 20 adjustably connected to the standard in any desired manner, as by means of a bolt 21. These springs serve to hold the frame 18 yieldingly in an upstanding position. However, said frame can be swung forwardly or backwardly so as to move it downwardly or upwardly relative to the axle 2, simply by shifting a lever 22 which is connected to the upper portion of the frame by a rod 23. This lever is located at a point where it can be conveniently reached by the occupant of seat 14.

Journaled upon the upper portion of the frame 18 is a transverse shaft 2 1 provided at its ends with sprockets 25 receiving motion through chains 26 from sprockets 27 secured to the wheels 1. Shaft 24 is provided with gears 28 meshing with gears 29 secured to the upper ends of parallel shafts journaledwithin the frame 18 and exf; tending from the top to the bottom thereof.

Secured upon each of the shafts 30 are reference 1 designates wheels supporting an'ar alternately arranged cutting disks 31 and 11 feeding disks 32. Each cutting disk is preferably flat and provided with a continuous or smooth periphery suitably sharpened, while each of the feeding disks is provided with an annular cored out portion 33 into which opens a peripheral slot 34. The bottom of the cored out portion 33 is open and has integral ribs 35 extending thereacross at desired intervals.

Hooked fingers 36 extend outwardly from the upper portion of the periphery of each of the feeding disks and are extended in the direction of rotation of the disks.

Each feeding disk is disposed directly opposite one of the cutting disks so that the peripheral portion of the cutting disk will extend into the slot 34.

Upwardly and rearwardly converging gathering fingers 37 are arranged in front of the frame and serve to lift the stalks and direct them into the passes between the cutting disks and the feeding disks.

\Vhen the machine is moved forwardly motion will be transmitted from the wheels 1 to the shaft 30 by the mechanism described. Thus the stalks as they are brought to position in front of the meeting parts of the disks 31 and will be engaged by the fingers 36 and drawn positively against the cutting disks which will operate to sever the stalks. It will be seen that the feeding disks lap and, consequently, as the stalks are fed through the machine, they will be bent laterally over the feeding disks, thus presenting curved or convex faces to the cutting disks which will, consequently, cut through the stalks readily and with but little friction. By having the slots 34 open into the cored out portions 33 and by forming these cored out portions with open bottoms, any trash wh' h might be carried into the feeding disks will fall therefrom and the mechanism will not become clogged.

What is claimed is 1. In a stalk cutting machine, the combination with spaced upstanding shafts and a frame for supporting the same, of alternately disposed cutting and feeding disks upon each shaft, each feeding disk being formed in a single piece and having a continuous peripheral slot for the reception of the cutting disk on the opposed shaft, and outstanding fingers adjacent the slot, there being; an annular cored-out portion within each feeding disk and communicating with the slot, the bottom of the coredout portion being open.

2. In a stalk cutting machine, an outstanding frame mounted for'up and down swinging movement, parallel shafts carried by the frame, means for simultaneously rotating the shafts in opposite directions re spectively irrespective of the adjustment of the frame, alternately disposed cutting and feeding disks upon each shaft, the feeding disks upon the opposed shafts being disposed in lapsed relation, each feeding disk being formed in a single piece and having a continuous peripheral slot for the reception of the cutting disk, and outstanding fingers adjacent the slot, there being an annular cored out portion within each feeding disk and communicating with the slot, the bottom of the cored out portion being open.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CULLEN B. SMITH.

Witnesses Row. 0. OBANIoN, Jon M. SEAns.

Topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

